H.S. Football Notebook: Norwalk MLB O'Hara putting up some big numbers on defense

By JOHN NASHHour Staff Writer

Published
5:00 pm EDT, Sunday, October 25, 2015

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H.S. Football Notebook: Norwalk MLB O'Hara putting up some big numbers on defense

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Two weeks ago, Norwalk football coach Sean Ireland said he thought Eddie O'Hara was the best middle linebacker in the FCIAC.

Those are some mighty strong words coming from a coach whose team plays in a league that includes the likes of New Canaan, Darien, Staples, Greenwich and St. Joseph.

The weekend after his coach put O'Hara on the spot -- and in the spotlight, perhaps -- all the senior did was come out and have a monster game against Westhill and leading the Bears to a 14-0 victory.

"He's very good," said Ireland, whose team improved to 3-2 with its second straight win. "It's no disrespect to anybody else in the league. He's just that good. If somebody is better, then show them to me. They might be (better), but in my eyes, he's the best middle linebacker in the league."

O'Hara had anywhere from 15 to 20 tackles against Westhill, when you total assists and solo tackles together, Ireland figured.

"He was in on almost every play," the coach said.

Ireland said O'Hara is a prototypical middle linebacker who loves the sport.

He's also in the center of a Norwalk defense that has given up just six points in its last eight quarters of football.

After the first two quarters against Westhill, Norwalk couldn't get on the board either.

Ireland and his staff, however, felt it would just be a matter of time.

"We were OK. We weren't yelling at the kids (at halftime)," said Ireland. "We just told them the plays are there to be made. If we made the plays, we're up 14-0. Stick to the game plan and we'll be fine and that's what happened."

The game also showed how much quarterback Krishtjan Frrokaj is maturing.

After a rough first half, in which the junior quarterback was 1-for-10, Frrokaj rebounded with a nice second half, throwing two TD passes to Deandre Russell and AJ Green to account for all the scoring.

"He gets better every week," said Ireland. "Not just his physical attributes, but mentally as well. He did have a not-up-to-his-potential first half and he'll be the first to tell you that, but it shows how much he's maturing. He put it behind him and has had a tremendous season."

The Bears host New Canaan in their final home game of the season on Friday at Testa Field.

YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'VE GOT TIL IT'S GONE: For those curious how the two would-be starters that transferred from Norwalk are doing, here's a quick rundown via their current school's Max Preps page.

Wide receiver Izaiah Sanders, who transferred to Trinity Catholic, has caught 20 passes in five games for 493 yards (24.7 yards per catch) and six touchdowns.

Quarterback Greg Goldstein, who moved over to St. Luke's, where the Storm were 2-3, had stats listed for his first three games. He was 18-for-40 passing for 305 yards (16.9 yards per completion). He had thrown three interceptions, but hadn't thrown a touchdown pass.

EXTRA EFFORT PAYS OFF: When Wilton High coach Bruce Cunningham showed up at Boyle Stadium on Friday night, he noticed Stamford's best running back Tyrel Diaz was not in uniform.

After a week gearing up defensively to try and stop the fast and bruising runner, it did throw a slight kink into the Warriors game plan.

When Wilton jumped out to a 27-7 lead, though, the Warriors felt pretty good about things.

"We kind of adjusted on the fly," said Cunningham, whose team improved to 2-4 with the 30-27 overtime win over the Black Knights. "We saw a lot less two backs. We didn't change much. I think that shows your kids you're panicking. We just made some adjustments as the game went along based on what they were doing."

Stamford stormed back, but the Warriors persevered and clinched the win when sophomore kicker Will Sullivan booted his third field goal of the game in overtime.

It was Wilton's third overtime game in the program's history.

"I'm extremely proud of the kids," said Cunningham. "In the second half, they hit us with a couple of big plays and got the momentum going, but we were able to get the game in overtime. In overtime, I really believe that it's anybody's game. It was a great celebration for those kids. This could have been one of those games where they couldn't get it done, but they showed a lot of resilience."

Wilton hosts Darien on Friday night, which means the Warriors are going to be getting another look at Blue Wave defensive legend Mark Evanchick, a 6-foot-1, 215-pound defensive end who has 15 sacks in five games this season.

That gives Evanchick 58 career sacks, just two behind the state record held by Dwight Freeney.

"I tell you what. He's somebody who comes off the edge and applies pressure," said Cunningham. "He's a guy who can wreck a game by himself. He can completely wreck a game. When you play, No. 90, you better know where he is and try to find a way to block him. He's a senior, but we've been playing against him for three years and he's given us problems for three years. We're going to have to find a creative way to contain him."

INJURY WOES, FRUSTRATION GROWS: Staples head coach Marce Petroccio knows injuries are a part of football and the Wreckers have adopted a next-man-up attitude through an early season rush of them.

On Friday, though, injuries finally caught up with the Wreckers, who were defeated at home by Ridgefield, 31-27, and knocked from the unbeaten ranks

After the game, Petroccio was obviously frustrated he's unable to field his best possible team due to the injury bug that has hit the Wreckers.

Ethan Burger, last year's leading rusher in the FCIAC, was the first player to be lost and starting quarterback Andrew Speed soon joined him.

At practice last week, though, the Wreckers also lost Colin Hoy -- perhaps the team's best defensive back -- and then lost another DB during the game vs. the Tigers.

Forced to play first-year varsity players in the defensive backfield, Ridgefield quarterback Drew Fowler had a career day, picking apart Staples' torn-apart defense to the tune of 29-for-44 passing for 357 yards and four touchdowns.

"When you're living on the edge for the last three weeks with the amount of kids we had out, tonight it bit us," said Petroccio.

The Wreckers enter their second bye week hoping to have everybody cleared to play by the doctors and training staff before heading to Trumbull for a Saturday afternoon game against St. Joseph.

"It's very difficult when we're playing with kids who have never played on this field before in a varsity game," the veteran coach said. "We're playing with sophomores and kids who are limping around doing their best. Now we have to figure out a way to get ready for St. Joe's. Hopefully, we'll know who is playing and who isn't playing by that time."